The Ukrainian parliament has requested that Constantinople recognize the Ukrainian Orthodox Church's independence from Russia, the parliament website reported on June 16. The appeal to Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople - the head of the Orthodox Church - was supported by 245 deputies, with 20 deputies voting against. The move is hoped to speed up "changes that will grant the Ukrainian church independence from an aggressor state," the Kommersant newspaper reported.
The Moscow Times: Ukrainian Orthodox church seeks to cut ties with Russia
The Ukrainian parliament has requested that Constantinople recognize the Ukrainian Orthodox Church's independence from Russia.
